Friday, August 6, 2010

Either Queen Latifah didn't spot the paps or she's finally comfortable enough to reveal her relationship with Jeanette Jenkins. The two, who have been rumoured to be dating for quite a few years. Queen Latifah and Jeanette are currently vacationing with their friends the Beatz (lol) aka Alicia Keys and Swizz Beatz.

The much anticipated video from Kayne West debuted yesterday on MTV. The video is for his first single "Power" and I think I'm just gonna refrain for giving my opinion on this one. I'd have to dissect it second by second and I'll leave that to the conspiracy theorists. Here's what the video's creator had to say about it:

“It starts with a very tight shot introducing him that’s kind of a reinvention of a neoclassical painting. It pulls back from the shot, without any cuts, and we reveal the video canvas, populated by all these characters who are depicted in various stages of undress and decadence. The iconography comes from Roman iconography, Renaissance iconography, and it connects to the sexuality of the music as well. As we reveal the setting for it, there’s a feeling of a moment of transition for him. A fall from grace, if you will. It visualizes power, and him as the icon as power, and then at the end of the piece it challenges the power that I set up at the beginning. It’s an elliptical piece of storytelling.

Eminem collaborates with Rihanna on the tale of love gone wrong. It's a story a lot of people can relate to...cheating lover who just keeps drawing you back in. It's a pretty intense video with some decent acting.I gotta say, I'm feelin the red hair on RiRi in this one. I wasn't sure about it when she first dyed it, but it's grown on me.

Last summer, Jay-Z confirmed that he would be releasing a book entitled, "Decoded". Now, Rolling Stone reports that the project will be available on November 16th. The book’s a collaboration with writer Dream Hampton and will also serve as a memoir. It's also set to include a detailed discussions of some of his most famous lyrics. The hardcover version of the book will also explore the rapper's creative process. I've seriously already marked the date in my Blackberry. UBER EXCITED!

Thursday, August 5, 2010

Yesterday we told you about authorities raiding the home of rapper Young Buck in regards to a $300,000-tax bill. Well, he isn't the only one the IRS is coming after. Wycelf Jean, who is running for Haiti's presidential role, owes the IRS more than $2.1-million. Back in 2007, a tax lien was filed against Clef for $792,269. Last July, another lien was filed for $599,167 and this past may the IRS filed a $724,332 tax lien against him.

According to The Smoking Gun, Jean used his charitable foundation to pay himself and a business partner more than $410,000 for rent, production services. And also to pay Wyclef to perform at a benefit concert. He also paid his cousin, Jerry Deuplessis, and himself $65,000 for space at a Manhattan recording studio that they both own. *blank stare*

Wyclef announced last night that he will resign his leadership role from Yéle Haiti organization, effective immediately. He’s scheduled to formally announce on CNN’s “Larry King Live” his intentions of running for president. Derek Q. Johnson, best known for heading up the revitalization of Harlem’s famed Apollo Theater, will assume the role of CEO to continue the organization’s strong momentum during the transition.

*le sigh* How are you running to be president of country but can't even handle your personal finances? Get it together Wycelf! You have a lot of people riding for you.

TMZ has learned that Leonadro DiCaprio is willing to face, in court, the woman who is accused of slashing his face. Law enforcement sources tell TMZ that Leo is being "extremely cooperative" with prosecutors on the case. According to the sources, Leo has told authorities that he will take the stand and testify against Wilson, if necessary. This stems from an incident in 2005 where Wilson, who is 40 years old, allegedly slashed DiCaprio's face with a class during a party in the Hollywood Hills. Wilson faces one charge of assault with a deadly weapon after she apparently caused 17 stitches worth of damage.In an odd twist, Wilson previously fled to Canada and had to be extradited to the States. If convicted, she faces up to four years behind bars. In an even odder twist, a year after the DiCaprio incident, Wilson smashed a glass bottle over her ex-boyfriend's head and was convicted for that. SMH.

The beautiful people came out yesterday to celebrate the release of Takers, which stars T.I., Chris Brown, Michael Ealy, Idris Elba, Paul Walker and Hayden Christensen. The film is the first producer credit for T.I’s “Grand Hustle Films along with Will Packer’s Rainforest Films. The action-packed movie revolves around a notorious group of criminals who execute huge bank robberies. After the red carpet festivities, the celebs partied until the wee hours with Chris Brown, Keri Hilson and T.I. and special guest Tyga all performing.

Janelle Monae goes for raw emotion with this bold video for her song "Cold War." With one angle, it's just Janelle, her facial expressions and emotions vs. the camera. She looks gorgeous as she brings a new cool to the Cold War.

Wednesday, August 4, 2010

So, before Weezy went in to serve his Rikers sentence, he set up Young Money for success and they're come through. But Weezy isn't going to let us forget who the boss man is. He called up Funkmaster Flex to catch up. He talks Nicki and Drake not answering his calls, what his typical day is like, the EP that's dropping and other stuff. Get home soon Weezy! Check out the audio below:

Not sure of the meaning behind Nicki Minaj's debut album name, but it's called "Pink Friday". Ironically though, it'll drop on Tues, Nov. 23. Nicki revealed the name on UStream yesterday. In other Nicki news, the Sean Kingston video for "Letting Go" featuring the rapper dropped last night as well. The vid was shot in JA and has a mainstream-reggae-pop feel to it. There's real concept, just a good old fashioned blocko. Oh, and Nicki busts Patois for her verse.

This is another example of entertainers not looking after their ends and getting screwed cause of it. The Feds raided Young Buck's Nashville, TN home this morning over an unpaid $300,000-tax bill. They seized recording equipment, jewelry, furniture, as well as awards and platinum plaques in an effort to get their money. They did, however, spare Buck his home and vehicles. In response, Buck issued the following statement:

"The worst part of this isn't the material stuff--that will all be replaced. It's what it does to the people around me. They took my kids' Playstation, my assistants' computers, and baby's mothers' jewelry. They took my home studio so I can't even record. I have a new team in place, but I am also paying full attention now. Nothing like this will ever happen again. This is a huge wake up call for all entertainers to stay on top of your own trusted employees and team members, and replace anyone that was put in place by your record label if the situation you have goes sour. This IRS situation came about because I trusted accountants, lawyers, and managers to handle my business for me while I focused on making music. From now on, I am going to stay on top of my own business."

Tuesday, August 3, 2010

As we reported last week, Laurence Fishburne's 18-year-old daughter is embarking on a porn career in hopes of breaking into the mainstream. After preview images leaked from her first Vivid Entertainment Film, Montana (or Chippy D as she calls herself) says her dad is "very upset". REALLY? Why would he be upset? SMH. Montana tells TMZ, "[My dad] is very upset. I heard that he's mad at me but I haven't spoken to him yet. I feel pretty confident that I can work things out with him. I think he wants to support me in everything I do, and though he sees this now as a negative, I believe in time he will view it as a positive."*blank stare* She can't be serious, can she? *scratches head* What kinda BS has Brain Pumper been feeding this girl? And on top of that, he'll laugh all the way to the bank when this tape comes out. So.sad.

Yesterday we reported that the Internet was buzzing with rumours of Monica and Maino dating after they were seen cuddled up at T.I. and Tiny's wedding. Well, Monica's assistant reached out to the bloggers and clarified. In a letter to Necole Bitichie of NecoleBitchie.com, the assistant wrote:

I wanted to address the Monica and Maino rumor! Monica and Maino are great friends but they are both seeing other people NOT each other! They both would like to apologize for anyone who this rumor may have affected or hurt! In this day in age people find it fun to mess in peoples personal lives, they are both real people and real artist who do not agree with that! The picture was taken as they saw each other for the first time at the reception! Thanks again for your time and understanding!

Well, well, well seeing other people are they?! Well, that has sparked rumours that Monica is in fact dating Shannon Brown, her OTHER co-star in the "Love All Over Me" video, who she actually chose at the end. The two have been previously spotted together in NYC after their video shoot and apparently he was very, very sweet to her on set. *Kanye shrug* at this point, I'd have to see it to believe.

After their beautiful reception (complete with fireworks and designer wedding clothes), Tiny and T.I. changed into something a little more comfortable and partied at Cameo's Nightclub in Miami. The whole wedding party, including Nelly and Ashanti (who looked very coupled up....reference the photo below just in case their hand-holding goes by too fast for you in the vid), Usher, JD and more showed up on a bus and popped bottle after bottle after bottle. Rihanna and her best friend Melissa also stopped through after a tour stop at the American Airlines arena.

How amazing does Ms. Beatz look in her bikini? The baby bump is toooo cute! Alicia Keys (Beatz? lol) took a dip in the pool with a few friends apparently before her wedding this weekend to producer Swizz Beatz. She is lookin fab!

Monday, August 2, 2010

There's been plenty of speculation in regards to when Alicia Keys and Swizz Beatz would tie the knot. Well, wonder no more because they celebrated their marriage on July 31, in a ceremony on the Mediterranean island of Corsica. Since they're not French citizens, they were married in the States prior to the celebrations. If you're wondering, the bride wore a Grecian-inspired Vera Wang dress and carried a bouquet of purple calla lilies. The groom was decked out in a Tom Ford tuxedo. The couple’s friend Dr. Deepak Chopra presided over the nuptialsMajor congrats to the happy couple who are also expecting a baby.

Monica may have chosen Shannon Brown over Maino in her "Love All Over Me" video, but she may have chosen Maino in real life. Internet rumours are speculating that Monica and the rapper are officially a couple. The two cuddled together at Tiny and T.I.’s wedding in Miami on Saturday. Hmmm, let's see how this develops. But do you like Monica and Maino together?

Last week we told you that veteran actor Laurence Fishburne's 18-year-old daughter is embarking on a career in porn. Well, TMZ has obtained the first images for the still untitled porn flick in which she'll make her debut. SMH. This is the definition of little girl lost.

After all the courtroom drama upon her sentencing, Lindsay Lohan is free after just serving 23 days of her 90 day jail sentence. Lindsay is now back in rehab where she'll spend 90 days. The reason for the early release from Lynwood Correctional Facility was overcrowding. According to TMZ, a spokesman for the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department told photogs gathered outside Lynwood that Lindsay was released at about 1:35 AM. Additional TMZ reports say she will be treated for addiction to methamphetamine and bipolar disorder.Let's hope she gets the help she needs.

As we told you on Friday, Tiny and T.I. made their union official with obtaining their marriage license on July 30. The happy couple then celebrated over the weekend with a glam reception. Guests included: Trina, Monica, Maino, Bow Wow & his date Angela Simmons, Diamond and Lil Scrappy, Rasheeda, Toya (of course), Usher, Ashanti, Nelly, Kim Porter, Lil Duval and more. Celebs TwitPics the festivities. Tiny and T.I. then continued to celebrate throughout the weekend. Looked like a beautiful reception.